Honorable Cyrus Vance (Late)

Former US Secretary of State

Founding Chairman, American Iranian Council

Honorable Cyrus Vance (March 27, 1917 – January 12, 2002) was an American lawyer and United States Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1980. Prior to that position he was the Secretary of the Army and the Deputy Secretary of Defense. He was the Founding Chairman of the American Iranian Council.

As Secretary of State, Mr. Vance approached foreign policy with an emphasis on negotiation over conflict and a special interest in arms reduction. In April 1980, Vance resigned in protest of Operation Eagle Claw, the secret mission to rescue American hostages in Iran.

Mr. Vance attended Yale University, earning a B.A. in 1939 and continued on to Yale Law School, earning his J.D. in 1942. After receiving his law degree, he served in the Navy until 1946. He practiced law at a New York City firm for the next decade and then entered government service in the late 1950s.